Research group members

i am a senior lecturer and director of research at the department of education, brunel university of london. my research spans the disciplines of sociology and social geography, with inter-connected research interests in the study of childhood, youth and families, social inequality, and leisure. my work across these thematic areas is guided by a commitment to equity and social justice. i am interested in exploring and theorising the way social inequalities are reproduced across time and place, and the way structural inequalities mediate the lived experiences of minoritized subjects. i am currently pi of two british academy funded projects: (i) centring families in iceland’s just transition (with dr auður magndís auðardóttir and dr auður aðalsteinsdóttir) (ba funding contribution: £ 294,842) (ii) enhancing writing skills and building academic networks: supporting career development of earlycareer social science researchers in indonesia (with dr fitri arlinkasari, prof vina adriany, prof emma wainwright and dr indra yohanes kiling) (ba funding contribution: £ 21,210) my first monograph race, class, parenting and children’s leisure (bristol university press, 2023) was the runner-up of the british sociological association's philip abrams memorial prize 2024. i have also solo-edited two interdisciplinary volumes: childhoods & leisure (palgrave macmillan, 2023) and debating childhood masculinities (emerald, 2024). i am the associate editor of two peer-reviewed international journals: journal of family studies and schole: a journal for recreation & leisure studies education. i am also the book review editor of sociological forum and children & society. i am an editorial board member of the following peer-reviewed journals: british journal of sociology british journal of sociology of education sociology compass children & society sociological forum leisure studies world leisure journal i am a trustee of academy of social sciences (the uk's national academy of academics, practitioners and learned societies in social science). i sit on the executive committee of leisure studies association and i am currently an executive committee member cum equality, diversity and inclusion (edi) officer of the geographies of children, youth and families research group of the royal geographical society (with institute of british geographers). within brunel, i am a member of the education, identities and society (eis) research group within the department of education as well of the pan-university centre for global lives and centre for health and wellbeing across the lifecourse (chwl). utsa's research interests broadly centre around the following axes: children's everyday lives with a particular focus on generational order, parenting strategies, and children's agency intersection of race and class within parenting ideologies and family practices reproduction of social inequalities in the context of leisure critical race theory approaches to the study of childhood and parenting south asia and global south asian diaspora critical sexuality studies sociology of childhood and family sociology of education race and class environmental and climate social sciences leisure studies i teach on a number of study blocks/modules across the ba education programme and currently lead the following study blocks: ed1712 education & society ed3700 education in different contexts

emma is a professor and interdisciplinary social scientist with a background in human geography. she is co-lead of the human geography: space, place and society research group (with nicola ansell and monica degen) and the education, identities and society research group (with utsa mukherjee). emma studied geography at the university of aberdeen and, after completing her pgce (secondary) at the university of edinburgh and a brief period of secondary teaching, was awarded a scholarship by the university of st andrews to undertake her phd in social and historical geography. prior to working at brunel, emma was a research executive in the social research institute at mori (now ipsos mori). emma's research interests focus on the geographies of education, training and welfare, and social and educational inequalities. in particular her works explores higher education and student experience; social housing and resident engagement; family, parenting and home-school engagement; embodiment, body work and emotional labour. emma's work engages low-income, marginalised and 'hard to reach' groups. research has been funded through external grants awarded by the esrc, the british academy, the city of london corporation, barclays, the froebel trust, the learning and skills council, and the money advice service. emma has successfully collaborated with various social housing providers across london and the south east including a2dominion, catalyst and east thames (now l&q) to deliver research and evaluation projects. the impact of this research was captured in a ref 21 case study. for six years, emma was editor of the british educational research journal (jan 2018- dec 2023). she has recently been external examiner at the university of hertfordshire (bsc geography), university of newcastle (bsc geography) and cardiff university (msc education and msc childhood and youth), and acts as a regular reviewer for various academic journals. in 2006 emma was awarded the newbigin prize by the royal scottish geographical society for her paper published in the scottish geographical journal. recent work has been published in area, educational review, education 3-13 and population, space and place. emma has worked at brunel for 20 years, nine years as part time. she currently works 4-days a week (monday, wednesday, thursday and friday). qualifications phd, geography, university of st andrews pgc in higher education, brunel university london pgc in secondary education (geography and modern studies), moray house, university of edinburgh ma (hons) geography (1st class), university of aberdeen awards and prizes brunel impact award nomination for enhancing research culture, 2025 bera conference award for best paper in the educational policy and educational research sig, 2023 bera conference commendation for best paper in the alternative education sig, 2021 brunel teach award for innovative assessment, 2018 university's student-led teaching award for outstanding feedback, 2017 royal scottish geographical society, newbigin prize, 2006 current research interests include: he participation, student success, commuter students, student poverty early years, play and inclusion social housing, welfare provision, training and financial inclusion embodied learning and professionalism home-school engagement, parenting and care engaging low-income families in research ref 21 case study based on resident engagement in education, training and welfare support ref21 case study - education, training and welfare-to-work through a geographical lens, my research focuses on social and educational inequalities. in particular, my work explores: higher education, student experience, widening access, poverty and precarity family, parenting and home-school engagement further education, lifelong learning and training for work embodiment, body work and emotional labour social housing and resident engagement current teaching i currently teach on the following programmes: ba education, department of education bsc geography, department of social and political sciences modules led: ed1705 human development ed2700 the social study of children and young people ed1802 education and society 1 ed2800 education and society 2 focusing on geography, sociology, social policy and research methods i have previously taught on the following programmes: ma children, youth and international development; ma education; doctorate of eduction; ba and ma social work. teaching awards: 2017 recipient of the university's student-led teaching award for outstanding feedback 2018 recipient of brunel teach award for innovative assessment

i am currently an education ma programme leader. prior to joining the ma education team at brunel in 2021, i had worked for five years at the ucl institute of education. over the last few years, i have researched teacher retention, both at ucl and brunel, including as a co-i on the ongoing esrc education research programme project (led by durham university) on the recrutment and retention of minority ethnic teachers, and relationship to student outcomes (2022-2025). i am also a co-i on the ongoing education endowment foundation funded study (led by ucl) investigating the effects of attainment grouping and mixed attainment teaching on student outcomes in secondary mathematics. i had previously completed three postdoctoral projects on eastern european migrant students' identities and educational experiences, at king's college london (with funding from the newton international fellowship and the british academy visiting scholar scheme) and at the university of porto (with funding from the portuguese foundation of science and technology). prior to my academic career, i worked at the open society foundation in ukraine on the reform to improve access to higher education. professional experiences of teachers with a migration background is my new area of research funded by the brunel research initiative and enterprise (brief). more information is availble here.

ammal is a lecturer in education and part of the english teaching team on brunel’s primary pgce programme. prior to joining higher education, ammal worked for tweleve years in various inner london primary schools. during her time working in primary education, ammal has experience of being a ks1 borough moderator, subject and senior leader, and a school-based mentor to ba and pgce students. ammal’s passion and expertise lie in phonics, intervention and catch up learning across all key stages in reading, writing and maths. ammal has also previously been employed to work with children in ks1, and specifically focused on teaching reading, writitng and maths due to the major loss of learning encountered during the pandemic. her role there involved supporting disadvantaged pupils and those who required extra support and provision. before joining brunel, ammal was an associate lecturer on the pgce primary programme at goldsmiths university. education policy, educational inequality, social justice, social mobility, culture and identity. why family engagement is crucial for schools and children | bera ammal's ma dissertation research study describes and outlines the impact covid-19 had inflicted on the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. it also explored the continuing decline in the disadvantage gap, which had been exacerbated due to the pandemic. the goal of the study was to understand the lived experiences of teachers working at the coalface during the pandemic. the use of intersectionality as a theoretical framework for the study further enabled the analysis of the categories of: gender; class; race; and language in relation to educational inequality. pgce primary general professional studies (ed5617) pgce primary english (ed5618) pgce primary curriculum enhancements (ed5619)

ellen mchugh is a senior lecturer in the department of education. ellen joined brunel university london in 2017 and teaches on the undergraduate education programme. she is a member of the human geography: space, place and society research group and fellow of advance higher education. ellen studied geography and archaeology at the university of manchester and completed an ma in tourism, environment and development at king’s college london. in 2007, ellen was awarded a studentship from the university of reading to undertake a phd in geography. ellen’s research since joining the department of education has focused on higher education and student experience. she has worked on a number of research projects including students from a widening participation background; social housing and resident engagement; commuter students; the growth of tuition centres; students from military families; and doctoral students negotiating the shift to an academic position. ellen also has particular expertise with hard-to-reach groups. in 2023, ellen and her colleague professor emma wainwright were awarded a british academy/leverhulme small research grant to look at free food provision for university students. prior to academia, ellen worked in the embassy of ireland with the emigrant services advisory committee (esac), established in 1984 to advise the irish government on issues of concern to the irish community in britain. ellen also worked as a marketing executive for tourism ireland, the body established under the good friday agreement to market the island of ireland overseas. university students and their experiences; food poverty in educational spaces; children from armed forces families; mobility and belonging. ellen’s research focuses on educational inequalities in higher education with particular reference to students from under-represented and marginalised backgrounds. in particular, her work explores the inequalities that intersect in the educational spaces where people live, meet and study with a focus on student poverty and the lived experiences of students. i currently teach on the ba education programme in the department of education. ed1707 study skills and methods of enquiry ed2701 research methods ed3701 education in different contexts edd and phd supervision

anne chappell is the head of department and reader in the department of education and has been in the department at brunel university london since 2004. she teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes, including initial teacher education. prior to this she worked in several secondary schools in london and the south-east of england with roles including head of year and head of physical education. she studied education, physical education and science at west sussex institute of higher education, before completing a master’s in education at the university of southampton and a phd at brunel university of london. anne is a senior fellow of advance higher education (previously higher education academy). anne's research interests are in auto/biography, education, policy, and the experiences of professionals, children and young people, including those from armed forces families. she has undertaken funded research with university students from widening participation backgrounds and commuting students and research with teachers at different career stages. she was brunel's coordinator for the eu funded “universities supporting victims of sexual violence: training for sustainable student services (usvsv)” project. anne's recent and current research, with colleagues, focusses on the experiences of 'grown up children' from armed forces families, including university students: (‘grown up’ children from armed forces families: reflections on experiences of childhood and education and university students from military families). anne is the co-editor of the palgrave handbook of auto/biography with dr julie parsons, university of plymouth, and she co-convenes the british sociological association's auto/biography study group: auto/biography study group (britsoc.co.uk) with dr carly stewart, bournemouth university. auto/biography; children and young people from armed forces families; education, policy and practices; professions, professional formation, professional learning and continuing professional development; university students and their experiences. research groups education, identities and society global lives research projects 'service children's champion' role in supporting children from armed forces families (pi: £4594.24 funded by the research and development office (innovation voucher), 2024-2025). this project is evaluating the role of the service children's champion in north yorkshire council. ‘grown up’ children from armed forces families: reflections on experiences of childhood and education (pi: £1900 funded by the global lives interdisciplinary research centre, 2020-2023). this project is exploring the experiences of 'grown up' children from military families who are 'missing' from the current profile of research about the military community: the experiences of undergraduate students from military families (co-i: £3480 funded by the access and participation fund, 2019-2020) explored the experiences of undergraduate students from military families to add to our understanding about this under-researched group within the university community. an exploration of the experiences of undergraduate commuter students (pi: £11,389 funded by the access and participation fund, 2019-2020). this project explored the experiences of undergraduate students who commute to university: childhood, parenting and the commodification of education: the growth and role of tuition centres in the uk (co-i: £4984 funded by the research development fund, 2018-2019). the project explored the growth, role, and use of private tuition centres for children of primary school age (4 to 11) to provide new research on how such centres are shaping contemporary educational practices and the role of parents in their children’s education. universities supporting victims of sexual violence: training for sustainable student services (usvsv) (co-i: £148,236 co-funded by the european commission’s dg justice, rights, equality and citizenship programme (daphne), 2016-2018, just/2014/rdap/ag/vict/7401). this is an evaluation of a programme developed as part of the project to support brunel university london staff to offer an effective ‘first response’ to disclosures of sexual violence. the project is taking place across 7 european countries ( #usvreact): successful students: exploring the factors that encourage and enable widening participation students to stay the course (pi: £14,717 funded by the access and student success fund, 2016-2018). this project focused on what encourages and enables students from widening participation backgrounds to stay at university and complete their studies to provide a fuller and more judicious understanding of the student experience. focusing on the everyday experiences of level 3 students at brunel, this project uses a creative and interactive methodology with students as stakeholders: professional learning: teachers’ experiences (pi: unfunded, 2015-2019). this project is exploring the way in which teachers at different career stages experience their professional roles, the meaning they attribute to the experiences, their responses to policy, and the impact on their lives and work. professional learning: teachers’ narratives of experience (phd awarded 2014). doctoral research focussed on the ways in which teachers narrate and make meaning of their professional experiences, with consideration of the dilemmas associated with the research process including data collection, analysis and representation. an exploration of black and minority ethnic students’ experiences of physical education teacher education (co-i: £2000 funded by a recruitment and retention challenge grant from the training and development agency (tda), 2008 to 2009). led by prof anne flintoff, leeds beckett university: conference presentations: chappell, a., mchugh, e. and ince, c. (2024) ‘grown-up’ children from armed forces families: everchanging friendships, presentation at the british sociological association auto/biography study group conference, friends house, 6th december 2024. chappell, a., mchugh, e. and ince, c. (2024) ‘grown-up’ children from armed forces families: the impact of their childhood experiences, presentation at the forces in mind trust research conference ‘research with impact for ex-service personnel and their families’, at king’s college london, 13th may 2024. chappell, a., mchugh, e. and ince, c. (2023) conversations about support for children from military families: exciting possibilities, presentation at the scip alliance annual conference ‘identity matters’, at the studio, birmingham, 29th november 2023. chappell, a., mchugh, e. and ince, c. (2023) saying goodbye: ‘grown up’ children from military families, presentation at the british sociological association auto/biography study group conference, wolfson college, 12th-14th july 2023. chappell, a., mchugh, e. and ince, c. (2023) auto/biographical experiences of ‘grown up children’ from military families, seminar presentation at the ‘life as a service child: experience of mental health and education’ organised by brunel university london and king’s college london, 28th september, 2022. chappell, a., ince, c. and mchugh, e. (2022) nostalgia and affinity: auto/biographical accounts of place in the experiences of ‘grown up children’ from military families, presentation at the british sociological association auto/biography study group conference, wolfson college, 13th-15th july 2022. chappell, a., ince, c. and mchugh, e. (2021) auto/biographical experiences of university students from military families: the same but different? presentation at the british sociological association annual conference, online, 14th april 2021. ince, c., mchugh, e. and chappell, a. (2020) the same but different: auto/biographical accounts of university students from military families, presentation at the british sociological association auto/biography study group conference, online, 4th december 2020. chappell, a. (2018) three teachers ‘doing’ their family lives, presentation at the british sociological association auto/biography study group conference, wolfson college, 19th-21st july 2018. mchugh, e., chappell, a. and wainwright, e. (2018) ‘successful students’ and the geographies of belonging, presentation at british sociological association annual conference, northumbria university, newcastle, 10th-12th april 2018. jones, c. and chappell, a. (2018) belief, recognition and support: improving responses to sexual violence in higher education, presentation at british sociological association annual conference, northumbria university, newcastle, 10th-12th april 2018. chappell, a. and jones, c. (2018) experiences of the usvreact programme at brunel, presentation at tackling sexual violence and harassment on campus: policy and practice, brunel university london, 7th february 2018. chappell, a. and jones, c. (2017) sharing experiences from the uk, presentation at supporting survivors of sexual violence in universities: learning from pan-european practice (usvreact findings conference), rich mix, london, 9th november 2017. chappell, a. and jones, c. (2017) responses to sexual violence: effecting change in higher education, presentation at european conference on educational research, copenhagen, 22nd-25th august 2017. chappell, a. and jones, c. (2017) staff culture in higher education: challenging preconceptions about sexual violence, presentation at gender and education association conference, middlesex university, london, 21st-23rd june 2017. chappell, a. and jones, c. (2017) universities supporting victims/survivors of sexual violence: training for sustainable services (usvsv) #usvreact, presentation at british sociological association annual conference, manchester university, manchester, 4th-6th april 2017. jones, c. and chappell, a. (2017) universities supporting victims/survivors of sexual violence: thinking critically about a ‘response’ approach, presentation at national conference on tackling gender based violence in universities, newcastle university, newcastle, 14th march 2017. alldred, p. and chappell, a. (2016) students, societies, sexual violence and support, presentation at the new mediations of feminist sociology of education event, institute of education university college london, london, 7th november 2016. chappell, a., and ludhra, g. (2016) ‘messy’ and entangled research, presentation at the british sociological association auto/biography study group conference, friends house, london, 16th december 2016. chappell, a. (2016) thinking differently about continuing professional development: teachers’ narratives of professional learning, presentation at the european conference on educational research, university college dublin, ireland, 23rd-26th august 2016. chappell, a. (2016) insider research: it’s all about me? presentation at the british sociological association auto/biography study group conference, wolfson college, oxford, 15th-17th july 2016. anne's research interests are in auto/biography, education, policy, and the experiences of professionals, children and young people, including those from armed families. she has undertaken funded research with university students from widening participation backgrounds and commuting students and research with teachers at different career stages. she was brunel's coordinator for the eu funded “universities supporting victims of sexual violence: training for sustainable student services (usvsv)” project. anne's recent and current research, with colleagues, focusses on the experiences of 'grown up children' from armed forces families, including university students: (‘grown up’ children from armed forces families: reflections on experiences of childhood and education and university students from military families). anne is the co-editor of the palgrave handbook of auto/biography with dr julie parsons, university of plymouth, and she co-convenes the british sociological association's auto/biography study group: auto/biography study group (britsoc.co.uk) with dr carly stewart, bournemouth university. ba education pgce secondary and primary education ma education doctoral research programmes teaching interests sociology of education education policy identities professions and professionalism professional formation/continuing professional development teaching and students inclusion and intersectionality auto/biography and narrative research methodology and methods safeguarding, health and safety and safe practice physical education: status, perceptions, experiences and subject knowledge.

i dedicate my work to enabling people to reach their potential, because i believe the world improves when more of us can lead ourselves first and then lead others to do their best work in the environments that enable them to thrive. this conviction has deepened since becoming a father of three boys — i want them to grow up in a world where education equips everyone to become the best version of themselves. my passion for development began over a decade ago, working with children as young as nine months and adults of all ages. in 2015, i founded always growing ltd, an early education and childcare company that now employs more than 30 people across (soon to be) four locations. it is a privilege to create and continually enhance a workplace for those doing one of the most crucial jobs there is: educating children in their foundation years. i have also been an active advocate for the early years sector more widely. i have served as a trustee of tactyc since 2021, supporting professional development across the field; previously as co-convenor of bera’s early childhood research interest group since 2022; and worked with the department for education to support settings during the covid-19 recovery. for the past seven years i have worked in higher education, teaching and researching in the field of leadership and management — largely at masters level — and leading the ma in education programme. in august 2023 i became director of education (previously director of teaching and learning) for the department of education at brunel university london, while completing my doctoral research in educational leadership and qualifying as a coach. a consistent thread through these experiences is the recognition that self-leadership is the foundation of great leadership and effective teaching and learning. this insight underpins my approach to curriculum design, particularly as we respond to the rapid growth of ai in education. i am committed to championing best practice that helps both educators and students develop the self-leadership and critical capacities required for success in a changing learning landscape. beyond the university, i continue to pursue this mission through: edventurous leadership – a platform and community dedicated to advancing self-leadership development for individuals and organisations. connected international – a charity partnering with local communities to drive sustainable change through education, beginning in rural uganda. my current research focuses on the intersections of self-leadership, educational leadership, and curriculum innovation, with particular interest in how these areas can strengthen teaching and learning in the age of ai. i welcome opportunities to collaborate on research, policy, and practice initiatives that strengthen educational leadership, enhance curriculum design, and empower learners to lead themselves and others effectively. education, early years, continuous professional development, teacher education, leadership, and policy. my current focus of research revolves around leadership, with a specific emphasis on leadership development, reflective practice, and the role of confidence in the context of leadership. additionally, i investigate the perception of leadership in early years settings and delve deeper into the impact of policy on this field too. leadership specialism on the ma in education programme

i've worked in mainstream and special schools, and at several universities in england. i undertake research and teaching in special and inclusive education, with a particular interest in challenging behaviour & exclusions, learning difficulties in the classroom and links between schools, families and communities. special educational needs & disability (send) & inclusive education; marginalised youth/people, school leadership, institutional change; inclusive professional practice in education; communities of professional practice; teacher development; international & comparative education

i found my way into anthropology after studying politics, completing my phd in social anthropology at the london school of economics in 2002. my doctoral research on the emergence of hindu nationalism within adivasi communities in central india became the subject of my first book, religious division and social conflict. i joined brunel’s anthropology department in 2004, following postdoctoral work on the inculcation of nationalist ideologies in educational settings. since then, i have returned regularly to india to pursue research on education, learning and schooling; childhood and youth; poverty and development; and inequality and social mobility. my second book, education, aspiration and social mobility: uncertain futures for rural youth in india' (berghahn, forthcoming 2025), considers how marginalized young people’s differentiated engagement with school education articulates with their livelihood options and aspirations for a better future. i have also been co-investigator on a collaborative, multi-regional research project (esrc-dfid, 2016-2018) which examines education systems, aspiration and learning outcomes in remote rural areas of india, lesotho and laos. i have recently started a new project on educational inequalities in the uk, with a focus on the role that education plays in the (re)production of class privilege. i have directed an ethnographic film (village lives, distant powers; produced by margaret dickinson), which is based on my research on development, the state and corruption in central india. qualifications: phd anthropology (lse) msc anthropology (lse) ma political science (jawaharlal nehru university) ba political science (university of utah) i am a social anthropologists with nearly 25 years of research experience in india on subjects ranging from nationalism and ethno-religious politics, poverty and social mobility, childhood and youth, and education and schooling. much of this research has been driven by my interest in the relationship between education and social reproduction, and the specific role that schooling plays in the reproduction of social inequalities amongst marginalised communities in rural india. this has culminated in my second book, futures in flux: education, aspiration and social mobility in india. with my new research, i turn my attention to educational inequalities in the uk, and specifically to the role that education plays in the (re)production of class privilege. research area(s) south asia education and schooling childhood and youth social reproduction, class and privilege poverty and development inequality and social mobility nationalism and ethnic conflict programme convenor msc, childhood, youth and education msc, international development and humanitarianism module convenor cross-cultural perspectives on education and learning critical perspectives on global development undergraduate dissertation additional teaching understanding childhood and youth fieldwork encounters administration co-director, equality and diversity (2023-present) director, postgraduate research, department of social sciences, media and communications (2014-2021) director, centre for anthropological research on childhood, youth and education (carcye) (2009-2014) convenor, undergraduate dissertations (2012-present) admissions tutor (2004-2011)